


Autumn Came Late This Year

by DippyFresh



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime)
Genre: Ahh so it's kinda an environmental story, M/M, a little fluff, a little sad, first fanfic so...yeah!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 19:47:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18531922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DippyFresh/pseuds/DippyFresh
Summary: Snufkin and Moomin sit by the grass on a cool autumn day, enjoying each others' company. Then Snufkin admits to Moomin that he won't be coming back next spring.





	Autumn Came Late This Year

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! So this is my first fanfiction, well, ever. So I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also, side note, I am a huge nature enthusiast. So Moomin has for a while now held a special place in my heart!

The wind that traversed Moominvalley made the leaves above dance and fall to the water below. Snufkin watched them fall, all sorts of different colors creating a medley of warm tones atop the clear water. Autumn came a bit late this year, as the trees only started turning in color a couple weeks ago. He thought about that. It was the sudden trills of a bird call that turned Snufkin's attention back to Moomin sitting next to him.

“I sure do love autumn, Snufkin,” Moomin began. “If only you didn't have to leave at the end of it, maybe I'd enjoy it more.” The mumrik laughed a tiny bit and turned to face the troll. He loved Moomin deeply, and every year he'd come back to spend with him, his feelings grew more intense. By now it was a deep love cut into his sides. It was a part of him he carried no matter where he traveled, and that’s what keeps him coming back to Moominvalley. But this coming year it would be different. Many times he contemplated foregoing his trip back to Moominvalley out of fear of Moomin becoming too attached to him. Yet it's been more than a decade that Snufkin's spent returning to the grassy meadows and magical lands he knew best. And along the way he and Moomin had become appreciative of their differences. Despite it all, both maintained an unwavering connection and commitment to one another no matter where they were in the world. So it wasn't a fear of restraint that was making him hesitant. It was what lay beyond Moominvalley.

Snufkin bit his lip, unsure of where to start. “Moomin, have you ever ventured beyond the valley, past the mountains?” Moomin’s eyes widened, amused. Snufkin looked through them to get a reading on him, some sign of preparedness.

“Well,” Moomin thought. “I've always wanted to see what was past that forest, but I've never been anywhere that way, really! But isn't that where you head in the winter?” Snufkin was slightly saddened by this revelation. Moomin never knew the world outside, or what was happening there. It would be harder for him to understand. Snufkin removed his hat with one hand and proceeded to brush his tunic with the other.

“Moomin,” Snufkin looked back at the troll, watching as his smile dropped. Snufkin remained calm - he knew what he was doing was for Moomin's good anyhow. “I’d hate to tell you this now, but I’m not coming back next spring. I might not even be back during the summer.” He saw Moomin’s face shift in disbelief. It had become so routine for them both. The troll was straining. 

“What! B-but why, Snufkin? You've always come back to the valley. Why can't you come back next year?” His mind raced at a million miles per second, contemplating what he could do to make him stay. No, he didn’t have to stay if he didn’t want to. He knew that. But he wish he did. Moomin was already defeated. 

“Will you ever come back again?” Snufkin smiled, holding the troll’s hand.

“Of course, my friend. I’ll be back. I’m not leaving forever, you know!” He saw Moomin lighten up, but he was still so somber. The thought of spending the next year without his best friend pained him. Of course, he had his other friends to keep him company and for that he was grateful. But it was Snufkin that made every day brighter, evey dull moment bearable. What would he do when he missed Snufkin so bad he couldn’t get out of bed? It worried him that after all these years he still felt crippled by Snufkin’s absence.

They sat in silence, and Snufkin knew Moomin was coming to his own conclusions. He had to tell him the truth. “Beyond the valley, the whole world is changing.” Moomin’s ears shot up before his face did. The wind picked up in the distance, and the grass around them danced.

“What do you mean? How could it be changing?” Moomin was uncertain as to where his friend was going with this. Snufkin’s thoughts travelled to a dark place, a memory of this year’s trip back to Moominvalley.

He described in great detail what horrors he witnessed. From across the sea on a coastal path, Snufkin had spotted a ship bigger than he had ever seen before. There was a great big fire that engulfed its deck, and from there all the way to the coast the sea water was black and shiny. Many tiny creatures had struggled to crawl out from the water’s grasp. When Snufkin tried to approach these creatures to help them, a strange herd of tall, two-legged animals had suddenly surrounded them. They spoke in a very unfamiliar language. Loud, piercing noises coming from wheeled machinery shook the air. This had startled Snufkin so terribly that he ran away.

And then, Snufkin continued, he came across something so awful. Some trek a long way from Moominvalley where Snufkin would usually stop to rest was suddenly no longer there. As Snufkin approached an unexpected clearing, he soon had found himself surrounded by tree stumps and muddy substrate. Grime and weird bits of paper and crinkly, translucent material gathered at the soles of his shoes, making a loud squashing noise as he walked that echoed throughout the clearing. It was bright, overcast, dreadful here. The area seemed so unfamiliar that Snufkin believed himself to be lost. It was the distant mountains protecting Moominvalley that turned his thoughts otherwise. What was once a quiet and carefree place to stop and rest after a few months’ worth of walking was now harsh and unbearable to get through. All the little critters that Snufkin would come across in this stretch of forest seemed to have gone elsewhere. He had felt through this clearing feelings of sadness coming from the trees, and from the small greenery struggling to break past the mud. The whole forest mourned their debilitated state, and Snufkin wondered if those same two-legged creatures were to blame for this. Far beyond, Snufkin could make out another one of those wheeled machines, yellow and distinguishable amongst the green and brown. He heard a shout in that same foreign language, and he scrambled to get out lest he be chased after.

“So you see, Moomin,” Snufkin took a long, deep breath in and out. “I could only run. So I’ve spent these past seasons thinking of how I could serve the creatures and the trees justice. I don’t want these same forces to invade Moominvalley, you see.” Moomin gave him a long stare. He was both shocked and overwhelmed by Snufkin’s story.

Moomin could only muster out a few words. “Why didn’t you tell us this earlier?”

Snufkin sat there, looking up at the sky. The clouds were beautifully round and white, so carefree in the way they wandered the sky. “I didn’t want you to worry, Moomin. It’s best if you didn’t know.” Snufkin moved closer to Moomin. “That way, we could enjoy each other’s company to our hearts’ content.” Moomin blushed at this statement. It had been a very good year together, as they’ve traveled land and sea moreso than they’ve done in years prior. At that moment, Moomin began to understand why Snufkin wanted to take action, and he was deeply humbled.

“So, what will you do about it, then?” Moomin inquired. Again, silence. Snufkin was very unsure of what he would actually do. It most likely involved interacting with the two-legged creatures, a thought that he knew would frighten Moomin, so he left out that detail.

“Anyways, it’s better to do something than to do nothing, Moomin.” Moomin nodded in slight affirmation. They stared into the distance, not particularly at anything, for a long while. 

Snufkin wanted to break the stale air. The last thing he wanted was for Moomin to remain worried until winter. “Say, why don’t we go to the shoreline and find a cave to explore? I think that would be tons of fun.” Moomin shot up and smiled.

“Yes! Let’s do that!” Snufkin grabbed his backpack and threw his hat on Moomin’s head. The two of them giggled at the silliness. Moomin’s presence broke past the beautiful scenery behind him. Lush grass, tall and healthy trees, and hills that rolled far away all encompassed the troll’s figure. As they stumbled up from the water bank, both were eager to reach the shore first. Both Snufkin and Moomin were unsure of the future, both unsure of what now lay beyond the mountains behind them.

**Author's Note:**

> Snufkin speaks for the trees.
> 
> Finland is actually very good at conserving the sensitive biodiversity of its many different ecosystems! This story would have taken some time before such protective actions had been put in place. I don’t really want to tell you what to do or what not to do, but I hope this story has allowed you to appreciate nature a little bit more alongside our love for Moomin!


End file.
